James Bible Study

Dear Friends, we have finished our journey through the book of James with God's love as the central CONTEXT in and behind what He inspired James to write. You can review the entire bible study by following the links at the end of each post. I would also like to invite you to join the James Page; I am planning on continuing our in depth study of James on the Discussion Board. Before we begin, I think we should consider a little of what we can find out about James, to help us understand the person God used to bring us this message. You will not understand the true mysteries in these writings unless you KNOW the TRUE SOURCE - JESUS CHRIST... however, "In Christ", it will be further helpful to know a little about James.

I personally find James a little sharp around the edges. What I mean is that... James' style "stings" a little more than the other NT writers... which is no wonder we find his work "kind-of... corralled" by the more even tempered writings of Timothy, Paul, Peter, and John. It's the same loving Word of God speaking through James, but as in every writer used by Jesus to bring us His Word, you can't help but pick up a bit of the character of James. So let's look at who James was and try to see who this is that comes through God's Word. God uses people like you, me, and James because we are each and every one - unique and part of His amazing plan.

Now we know early, in the days of the Church, about 44 C.E., King Herod Agrippa killed the first apostle James, the son of Zebedee and one of the original 12 (see Acts 12:1–2 ). However, Luke refers in verse 17 of the same chapter, that Peter sent news of his release from prison to someone named James. Though as many as seven different people by the same name have been identified in the New Testament, it is James the brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19) who is the most likely in this case. We also know Jesus’ brothers were present with the apostles in Jerusalem as the Church began after Jesus’ departure (Acts 1:14). This same James appears later in Acts as the leader of the church at Jerusalem, so it’s most likely that he is the author of our study now.

As a leader in Jerusalem, James spoke with authority to end an internal Church controversy over the circumcision of gentile believers (Acts 15:13–19; see also 21:18). And according to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, the Jewish religious hierarchy put James to death by stoning “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ” (Antiquities of the Jews 20.200). This would have been around 62 C.E.

Mark and Matthew indicate that he was one of several children born to Mary and Joseph after Jesus’ birth. Mark records an incident in Jesus’ ministry where his fellow townsmen decided Him as merely a local: “‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3; see also Matthew 13:55–56 ).

There was a time when James and the rest of the family were opposed to Jesus’ ministry and teaching. At one point, they actually thought Him mad (Mark 3:21). John tells us that “not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5). By the opening of the book of Acts, however, James had become one of the disciples. But even though he was Jesus’ brother, he did not take up the vacancy caused by Judas’s death, because the remaining 11 were to choose as a witness to Jesus’ resurrection “one of the men who had accompanied [them] during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among [them]” (Acts 1:21). James soon became the leader of the Jerusalem church, as demonstrated by the fact that Paul met with him and the apostle Peter.

But James brings to us, not his brothers word... but his and now Our Father's Holy Word. James' teachings were directed to Jewish Christians scattered among all the nations (James 1:1). Martin Luther, who detested this letter and called it “the epistle of straw,” failed to recognize that James’ teaching on works complemented—not contradicted—Paul’s teaching on faith. While Paul's teachings concentrate on our justification with God, James’ teachings concentrate on the works that exemplify that justification. James was writing to Jews to encourage them to continue growing in this new Christian faith. James teaches that the Lord's WORK will naturally flow from those who are filled with the Spirit. We can read James and ask ourselves whether we really have a saving faith if the fruits of the Spirit cannot be seen, just like Paul describes in Galatians 5:22-23. Reading through James can take us all the way back to our original commitment that we made with God. For some, it may be the Word that Christ will use to save us, once and forever!

James, challenges us as Christian... and puts to rest the idea that one can become a Christian and yet continue living in sin, exhibiting no fruit of righteousness. He declares, that "faith alone" is something shared by the demons who “believe and tremble” (James 2:19). Yet such a “faith” cannot save because it is not verified by the works that will always accompany a true saving faith (Ephesians 2:10). Good works are not the cause of salvation, but they are the result of it.

I am truly thankful that I may be allowed to go through this book together with you as I pray and meditate on God's Word and share what is laid on my heart. What a blessing and honor.

Let's pick up with James verse 1:1 next time.

I love you.

For the rest of the study follow the links to the next verse beginning with 1:1. Clicking on James will bring you back here.

For a specific Chapter follow the links below:
James 1 2 3 4 5

James 5:20‏

20. "Let the [latter] one be sure that whoever turns a sinner from his evil course will save [that one's] soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins [procure the pardon of the many sins committed by the convert]."

How can we say we have God's love, and not recognize those brethren who wander from the truth... and not merely theologically, but in terms of a lifestyle in sin, and then pray for them, and lovingly try to help turn them from the error of their ways. The death James is talking about is a physical death... here on earth... death, before he or she should have. Failure of the kidneys from abuse of alcohol, dying from aids, because of immorality... the list of the sins that could bring an early death is long.

There are Christians who will be led astray by bad theology to justify living a lifestyle of sin, as it appears James and John had to deal with in their letters. As for covering a multitude of sins, Peter also mentions this in 1 Peter 4:8, "Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]." This same thought also comes from Pr 10:12, "Hatred stirs up contentions, but love covers all transgressions."

In fact, one of the main objectives of love, is to deal with sin. Notice of God's love, the bible says, "But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us." Rom 5:8. So, with the primary focus of God's love is upon dealing with our sin, then our relationships should seek to turn people from sin and reconcile them to God through Jesus Christ so they may be saved. "And He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world." 1 John 2:2

Certainly, it was James' love for Jesus which gave him a love for those he was writing to... But, it has been Christ's love that has spoke to us in and thru the book of James, and we have been changed for the better through this powerful teaching. Amen?

I love you.

James 5:18-19‏

18. "And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]. [I Kings 18:42-45.]"

Elijah continued along "with" God, most likely marking every day off from the day he first asked God to stop the rain, all they way until the end of the famine period. A righteous man lives daily with God... not just later, in heaven, but here, now! Each day, in communication and in step with God. He sees what God watches and hears the things God listens to, and he does the will of God. Elijah, though imperfect, "knew" his Creator and his Creator "knew" Elijah. Does God "know" you and I? Now, we know Jesus was and is, all knowing... right. But remember when He says, "depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, for I never "knew" you"? He was referring to an intimate relationship just like Elijah's.

19. "[My] brethren, if anyone among you strays from the Truth and falls into error and another [person] brings him back [to God]"

Everyone of us needs to heed to this, because even years of experience will not keep us from being tempted into apostasy. Popularity or status among brethren not only provides no safety, but may in some cases increase temptation. Based on everything the Bible says about the devil, we should know, as soon as we deceive ourselves into thinking we have arrived, he sees an opportunity to destroy us. Every Christian should regularly confess what Paul admitted:

“…I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” Phil. 3:13-14

We must count ourselves at risk, vulnerable to the subtle assaults of the devil. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

James moves to summarize and encourage those people facing persecution to live lives of distinction, regardless of what they feel and face. A famine was at it's climax and the Jewish aristocrat's were preventing Christians from receiving their deserved rations and charity. The temptations of the world were starting to appeal to them in light of the frustrations of trials. Thus, the new Christians were starting to turn on one another. Many people felt, as today, that the church rejected them so they turned away in grief, while the other Christians did nothing to bring them back or to show them they were loved or cared about.

We have this same problem today! Many people leave a church because they do not get connected and they feel no one cares. We are called to care and literally go out and bring them back, not by force, but by showing the real, authentic love of God.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:20 next time.

I love you.

James 5:16-17‏

16. "Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]."

Is it just me, or do you see the opposite also? I mean, we normally confess our spiritual achievements, or victory of one thing and then keep quiet about that other thing... you know... our faults. How long can I get away with raising my hand for a "unspoken" prayer? No, I need my friends... my Christian brothers and sisters to lift up to God specifically what I am tired of struggling with... can I get an AMEN. Now, what is this about the prayer of a righteous man? Let's continue...

17. "Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. [I Kings 17:1.]"

James tells us two things about the man of prayer He is a righteous man (v.16). How would we understand a righteous man? Well, like Elijah, he is a right living man... not necessarily a perfectly blameless man. There was a time when that the prophet's imperfections were revealed. But he lived as a just and straight man. We could all agree that "bad" living makes for a "bad" prayer-life. How can anyone with the Holy Spirit inside of us pray with sinful thoughts of tomorrow on our minds? We just cannot talk to God strongly if we have not lived for God strongly. We cannot seek God in prayer, if we have not seeked Him in our walk. We cannot ask God to forgive us our sins if we do not forgive those who have sinned against us, either. Elijah prayed for such.

A righteous man has reverence in his dealings with God. The righteous man reverences the living God... not just on the Lord's Day but in his home too. Are there family prayers... do we go from family fun to family praying as naturally as the laughter of love becomes the mutual intercession of hearts made one before an almighty God?

A righteous man is a straight man as he deals with God. I mean, he is perfectly frank before the Almighty. There are times when our words outrun our feelings, but we are speaking to the Lord. The psalmist says, "I say to God my Rock, 'Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?'" (Ps.42:9)

I think we raise a righteous man higher than we should though... I mean, regardless of their stature and respect from his peers... before the Almighty God, a righteous man is desperately in need of a righteous God... and is not afraid to admit it in front of his fellow man!

Let's pick up with James verse 5:18 next time.

I love you.

James 5:13-15‏

13. "Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God]."

Now James brings us, again to the issue of prayer. He first brings a person's suffering into the issue of prayer... and then turns to the opposite end of the emotional and circumstantial spectrum... someone cheerful. One is “suffering” (kakopatheo) which means to experience circumstantial hardship. And, instead of falling into a self-pity or resentment at others, we should pray to God for the strength to endure and the wisdom to learn what God wants to teach us.

The other is “cheerful” (euthumeo) which means to feel happy because you have good fortune. While it is natural to just revel in our joy over good circumstances, we should thank and praise God for His goodness. In these two extremes, our first reaction should be to turn to God. Let's continue...

14. "Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord's name."

Most Christians may not even know who the elders of their church are. This work of putting oil on someone's head may seem bizarre or foreign for many an evangelical today. For what does it matter? What does the oil actually do? However I think that, much like water baptism, it was the symbolism behind it that helped to focus the prayers of faith on God's part in the healing process

It sounds like James is supplying us with a formula which guarantees physical healing. Without considering other truths from the same bible, it appears that if you are seriously ill, and you ask the elders to anoint you with oil, and they pray for you in faith, you will always be miraculously healed. This passage is used by people, both ignorant & sometimes deceitful, to promise such healing on demand, and when healing does not occur they just say it is because the people involved did not have enough faith. But let's continue...

15. "And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."

Prayer offered “in the name of Jesus... also called the prayer “of faith” is the prayer for healing that is according to God's sovereign will. In other words, God's sovereign will for each person will be different. Seriously ill Christians should also ask other mature Christians to pray for them, but this should be in addition to, and not instead of medical treatment. We should explain to others, both God's power to heal and His sovereign wisdom.

We, should also give the person an opportunity to confess sin that might (on occasion) have something to do with this sickness.

But behind all of this is that prayer and seeking God is the connection to whom set's over all that is going on in life. It is the personal relations and trust in God which He has always desired of man.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:16 next time.

I love you.

James 5:12‏

12. "But above all [things], my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath; but let your yes be [a simple] yes, and your no be [a simple] no, so that you may not sin and fall under condemnation."

Once again, James turns to the matter of our words as they are relative to our spiritual reality. James has been exhorting us to manifest patience and to live in light of the imminent return of our Lord. There is blessing promised to those who demonstrate endurance. Now he wants to remind them of the importance of being totally honest and trustworthy in the matter of speech. We are not to swear or make oaths. In saying, "But above all", it suggests that this is a matter of special concern. Maybe it reflects that the use of the oath had become rather common in everyday speech among the Jews of his day... but more importantly, we must step back and look at the implication we make when we do this.

Remember in chapter 4, James taught us, "13. Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money. 14. Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor. How arrogant we are to think we know how the next moment will turn out!

I am reminded how Peter looked at Jesus and said, Lord, I will never desert You"... imagine if he had sworn? Friends, do we not see the spiritual implication our words have in life and before a supreme God. God loves us too much to let us not be more responsible for what we speak. Amen?

Let's pick up with James verse 5:13 next time.

I love you.

James 5:10-11‏

10. "[As] an example of suffering and ill-treatment together with patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord [as His messengers]."

As we experience the struggles of life and grow with Christ in "patience"... James suggests we consider those whom have gone before us in the faith. He reminds us that the prophets of the Old Testament endured hardship, yet practiced patient endurance. We really can think about them as examples of people obeying God against the ridicule and mistreatment from the world around them. Jeremiah stands out as someone who endured mistreatment with patience. He was put in the stocks (Jeremiah 20:2), thrown into prison (Jeremiah 32:2), and lowered into a miry dungeon (Jeremiah 28:6), yet he persisted in his ministry. We may consider the lives of the apostles, themselves, to. We are not alone in our faith.

11. "You know how we call those blessed (happy) who were steadfast [who endured]. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the Lord's [purpose and how He richly blessed him in the] end, inasmuch as the Lord is full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy."

I hope you have heard of the endurance of Job... We are reminded of Job as an example of patient endurance. Though he was not an example of "perfect" patience... he "was" a perfect example of one dealing and growing in patience. His story shows both the necessity of a constant trust through times of calamity, and God’s compassionate and merciful relationship. Through our times of trial, the compassion and mercy of God may seem far away, examples like Job encourage us to press ahead in the same faith.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:12 next time.

I love you.

James 5:9

9. "Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you [yourselves] may not be judged. Look! The Judge is [already] standing at the very door."

If patience is being worked out by our faith in what Christ is doing... then complaining doesn't really make sense does it? Do we forget that the same God that is doing a work in us, is also doing a work in our brothers and sisters in the faith. If I have struggled and found life's decisions hard to make at times... why am I so hard on others?

Maybe I've become proficient at not breaking the rules... and maybe it bothers me that others still struggle... but I must not forget the greatest commandment... to love! Our grumbling about each other hurts each other, and God too. It happens when we take our focus off of God and upon ourselves.

Helping a fellow Christian away from sin is one thing, but grumbling means... "I don't like how God is taking so long with them"... it means, "I don't have confidence in God's plan"... and GOD HEARS OUR GRUMBLINGS.

God is so ready to roll up all that is evil in this world... we know it's true because He detests sin! And the only thing that keeps Him from doing it right now is that one other soul that will complete His body. Well, if this is true, then we must consider how quickly Jesus could come back at any moment.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:10 next time.

I love you.

James 5:8

8. "So you also must be patient. Establish your hearts [strengthen and confirm them in the final certainty], for the coming of the Lord is very near."

James reveals a key to how this "patience" is achieved. He says, "Establish your hearts". The Amplified justifiably adds, "to strengthen and confirm our heart in the final certainty", taking into account the context of all James has to say. What man or women can do this? No human can do this. This "strengthening of the heart" is the work of Christ Jesus, through the reading of God's Word, and the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. Faith, which is what James is talking about, comes by hearing the Word of God.

Patience is one of the manifestations of God's love. God works this patience out from within us by way of our relationship with Him through trials... we experience something in life... seek Him (through His Word, the leading and testing of His Holy Spirit) and do what He says in a trusting relationship. That is the exercising of our faith, and all the while anticipating His soon return.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:9 next time.

I love you.

James 5:7‏

7. "So be patient, brethren, [as you wait] till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. [See how] he keeps up his patient [vigil] over it until it receives the early and late rains."

Moving from the error of hating wealthy people, now James turns to what kind of attitude we should rather have. The Holy Spirit is well aware that there are trials and there is suffering and there is even persecution but nonetheless we are to be patient. But what are we patient for and what is and how can we "be" patient?

James says, the farmer waits, that's how it is if you're a farmer, you plant and then you wait. And that conveys the idea of looking expectantly for something outside of ones "self"...that's the Greek use of the word, wait. He looks for a crop to come up... and the harvest really depends on the forces God has set into motion. It depends on God bringing together all of the right components to make the crop good. And what's he waiting for? Look at it, the precious fruit. Precious means valuable. He depends on it for his existence. It may well be that if he's a small farmer and it's precious to him, that's a good indication that that's all he had. Well, friends... Faith is like a seed the Farmer planted. An really... at the end of the day, it's all we have. But unlike the farmer, faith has already been planted and our patience is for the fruit... not the planting. Now, about this patience...

Let's pick up with James verse 5:8 next time.

I love you.

James 5:5-6‏

5. "[Here] on earth you have abandoned yourselves to soft (prodigal) living and to [the pleasures of] self-indulgence and self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter."

Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, has much to do with this verse. The rich man lived in splendor, while Lazarus, covered with sores, longed to be fed with the crumbs from the rich man’s table. After death, their roles were re- versed... the rich man in agony of the flames of hell, but Lazarus was comfortably in Abraham’s bosom. The point, not that all rich people go to hell or that all poor people go to heaven, but the irony of greed... the irony in not turning to God and all He says. The Bible is clear that there are godly rich people and there are ungodly poor people. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9).

6. "You have condemned and have murdered the righteous (innocent man), [while] he offers no resistance to you."

The word “condemned” refers to the legal system used to take advantage of the poor. By bribing judges or by hiring powerful lawyers, the rich wrongfully take land or houses from the poor, and force them into a lifetime of slavery and greater poverty. If you confront them, the rich protest, “It was all legal... we didn’t break any law!” But what is technically legal is not always morally right... is it? While we may never kill someone for the sake of our own financial gain, but hurting others - Jesus calls murder, and for our own financial gain is pathetic.

Notice the righteous man does not resist the rich man. It's not wrong to take legal means to protect yourself or your assets from a greedy, unprincipled person, but as James reminds us, the poor are no match for the rich.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:7 next time.

I love you.

James 5:4

4. "[But] look! [Here are] the wages that you have withheld by fraud from the laborers who have reaped your fields, crying out [for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts."

Times have not changed in many ways since those when James was led in the Spirit to write to God's people. Here in verse 4, he denounces wealthy landowners for cheating laborers out of their hard-earned wages. God has tried to deal with man on this very issue as far back as Leviticus 19:13, “You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.”

It is easy to hide behind corporate rules and regulations while continually hacking away at benefits and salary and actually be personally rewarded for your efforts through bonuses. What kind of business intentionally creates monsters like this. But the world does not see things the way God knows works best... things such as the increased productivity of happy, healthy employees... people committed and loyal to a company that takes care of them.

But it was and still is a common problem in a world set against the things of God, isn't it? Look, on your own time at Deut. 24:14-15; Jer. 22:13; and Mal. 3:5. Look at how people lived from paycheck to paycheck as the industry in the United States began to fall. Many corrupt industry leaders (wealthy) pushed for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which allowed them to move there slave-making ethics to Mexico and Canada. Factories all across the nation now lay empty and it's workers stand in line now for Government assistance.

The fruit of greed has come upon it's own people and nothing has escaped God's eye. Most of us are not in the position of paying wages to workers. If we are, we should be generous and fair. But if we’re not, the principle still applies, that it is always wrong to cheat others for our own financial gain.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:5 next time.

I love you.

James 5:2-3‏

2. "Your abundant wealth has rotted and is ruined, and your [many] garments have become moth-eaten."

When Thomas Aquinas visited Rome, and was shown the lavishness of the papal palace, the pope remarked to him, "Well, Thomas, the church in our day can not say, Silver and gold have I none. " "No," replied Aquinas, "neither can she say, 'In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'"

We cannot hate the rich people in our church, nor in the world... quite honestly, when most common men are blessed with more than they need, rather than share, they will waste and spoil God's blessing. The same forces of our fallen world that weigh upon created man, eat and rust away also the things created for man. God's blessing is for today and if we receive more today than we need, then we were suppose to share... It's God's way.

3. "Your gold and silver are completely rusted through, and their rust will be testimony against you and it will devour your flesh as if it were fire. You have heaped together treasure for the last days."

Continuing the thought of "hording" for ourselves the blessings of God and the value we put on the blessing instead of Him (God) whom provides... I am led to the early teaching God gave His people in the wilderness. Listen...

"Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from the heavens for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law or not." Exodus 16:4

"The [people] did so, and gathered, some more, some less. When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to his need." Exodus 16:17-18

Now God has never changed how He provides for His people... but has his people again, changed?

"But they did not listen to Moses; some of them left of it until morning, and it bred worms, became foul, and stank; and Moses was angry with them. They gathered it every morning, each as much as he needed, for when the sun became hot it melted." Exodus 16:20-21

James brings a terrible reality of what is happening all around us today. As we continue to move through these passages we will see how we hurt ourselves by our greed and ignorance as much as we have deprived others.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:4 next time.

I love you.

James 5:1‏

5:1. "Come now, you rich [people], weep aloud and lament over the miseries (the woes) that are surely coming upon you."

Here we go again with the "come now"... so, we Christians, must "consider" what James is saying. Weep and howl for your miseries. James refers here, in the spirit of prophecy, to the destruction that was coming upon the Jews, not only in Judea, but in all the provinces where they traveled. In the most dignified language and peculiarly expressive and energetic images, he foretells the desolations that were coming... and did come. So does this apply to us? Well, John has done the same thing for our generation, and the world situation for Christians today is no different.

Now, we can argue about Pre, Mid, and Post-Tribulation, but one thing for sure, "Things are going to get worse" as we move toward John's prophecies! Yes, there is going to be... and already, there is much to lament over... but what do rich people... Christians, even, have to do with this? Now, many might argue that James can't be talking about Rich Christians, but part of the problem is that "we" do not agree with God as to what "rich" means. As we drive across America today we see storage facilities popping up everywhere. We see summer homes, winter homes, beach houses... you call them what you like, scattered all across the nation, fully furnished and ready for the two or three months that the owners will live in them. Then they are locked back up for the rest of the year while the owners are in their other house... or other houses. Is this a sin? I don't know... but we can't pretend to be ignorant. When we stand before God, and the scenes from life are flashed before us... pictures of homeless, needy "believers in the same God", all across the nation struggling within reach of these people God says are rich... how will He deal with such an enigma?

Keep in mind, I've only dropped a drop into the bucket full of the lavish extreme difference between the haves and the have nots. Has God not said it should be different? Oh dear brethren... weep aloud and lament over the miseries (the woes) that are surely coming.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:2 next time.

I love you.

James 4:15-17‏

15. "You ought instead to say, If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing]."

If we're to live life the way God intended us to, then we must put Him at the center of all our plans. The true believer is the one who seeks divine counsel and the one who has a heart to obey the counsel he seeks. There may be times of disobedience, may be times of disregard and even defiance against God's will, but deep in our hearts is that longing to do what His will dictates... the leading of the Holy Spirit as we study God's Word.

Submission to divine authority, divine will, and divine providence is basic to the life of a believer. We simply accept the lordship of Christ over all our own plans.

16. "But as it is, you boast [falsely] in your presumption and your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong."

Those who set their life in motion and defy with their plans the will of God... they make themselves out to be sovereign. Notice James says at the end of verse 16, "All such boasting is wicked," poneria, all such arrogance is wicked. The word "wicked" is used of Satan who is "ha poneros", the wicked one, the original sinner who sought to replace God, who said, "I will be like the Most High God, I will ascend into the heights, the one who sought to usurp the throne of God", he was the original poneros, the original wicked one. But when we exalt our will over God's will, then we are like him, poneria, wicked. That's what God thinks of our boasting.

17. "So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin."

Do we desire to do the will of God? If the answer is yes, then we belong to Him. Or, if the answer is yes and we've never been saved, then our heart is reaching out in faith to Him. But the desire to do the will of God is the mark of a transformed life. James says take a look at ourselves. Do I live constantly defying God's will? Ignoring God's will? Disobeying God's will? There's reason to wonder if the delight to do His will is not there. Furthermore, since it is the Spirit working in us His will, if it's not being done then maybe the Spirit isn't there. "And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ," Romans 8 says, "he's not His."

Let's pick up with James verse 5:1 next time.

I love you.

James 4:13-14‏

13. "Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money."

Where is James going with this? "Come now"... Let's just consider what he says... "You, who say, I'm gonna do this or that". Where do we get these grand ideas? And by asking ourself that, already, we are thinking, "what do you mean?"... "God gave us a brain, and He expects us to use it". Yes, He does, but like many things He gives, we are starting to find out, since we've been saved, the purpose for them is not for what we've thought before. Our brain is for working out (understanding) what God want's us to do! How is it we can come up with what we are to do tomorrow and not even seek God's idea on the matter? Let's add another piece of truth to this problem, listen...

14. "Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]."

Oh, we may assume our idea is great... but we forget how complex life is. It is complicated by so many forces, events, people, circumstances, all beyond our control. On God has the "box office seat"... He sees all the plays, the variables, so complex that it is beyond any man to either see the future or control it.

Another thing about ignoring God's will is that our ignorance brings about disaster, because life is fragile. Notice he says, ""for you are even a "atmis"... our word atmosphere came from this word. So not only is it foolish to plan out our days without God, since we can't control it, but it is foolish to try to live that way because you're canceling out the very thing which gives our life meaning... the work of God.

Let's pick up with James verse 4:15 next time.

I love you.

James 4:12

12. "One only is the Lawgiver and Judge Who is able to save and to destroy [the One Who has the absolute power of life and death]. [But you] who are you that [you presume to] pass judgment on your neighbor?"

God sets the standards, and we believe in moral absolutism. God is the Lawgiver and Judge. God says that we are to preserve the good name of our fellow believers (Ex 20:16). God says we are to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev 19:18). God says we are not to give false testimony against our neighbors (Ex 20:16). God says we are to love the truth and speak the truth in love. When we do the judging that James is talking about, we are breaking God's royal law. We are putting ourselves in God's place. We are becoming moral relativists because we are deciding what part of God's law we should keep and what part we can ignore.

When we see a brother or sister in sin, we don't know how hard he or she tried not to sin... and, we don't know the power of the forces that drove them toward it. We also fool ourselves thinking what we would have done in the same circumstances. James warns that we always need to be careful in our judging even when the facts seem to be so clear.

God is the one Lawgiver and Judge. He has set absolute standards for our morals, ethics, behavior, and speech. He tells us how to live and how to talk as servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. His standard only includes what is good and loving. His standard does not include what hurts another person.

Let's pick up with James verse 4:13 next time.

I love you.

James 4:11

11. "[My] brethren, do not speak evil about or accuse one another. He that maligns a brother or judges his brother is maligning and criticizing the Law and judging the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but a censor and judge [of it]."

If we are this far with James and still resisting... still in control of this "christian thing", we might learn what God wants and does not want... but, instead of trying to live for God, we'll only continue trying to be God. Is that a little extreme, you think? Well, let's examine the scripture. The verse forbids any speech... true or false, which puts others down. Often we feel justified “if it’s true", or we are justified putting others down, as long as it's "face to face, and not behind their back”. It's like, “fault finding” is some kind of spiritual gift. Most people are painfully aware of their own faults, would like to overcome them, & are trying.

We can never know what is exactly in someone else’s heart and therefore merely judge them externally. Paul reminds us...

"So do not make any hasty or premature judgments before the time when the Lord comes [again], for He will both bring to light the secret things that are [now hidden] in darkness and disclose and expose the [secret] aims (motives and purposes) of hearts. Then every man will receive his [due] commendation from God." 1 Cor 4:5

Finally, the other problem with judging others is that our sin inhibits our judgments!

Let's pick up with James verse 4:12 next time.

I love you.

James 4:9-10

9. "[As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins]."

Now... the attitude brought before the Lord we read here in verse 9, should be achieved easily from someone who has experienced what God asked us to do in the last few verses. Obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit... resisting the same old sins we have held onto until now... because we are more aware of our shame. Our realization of the disqustful things we were involved in and the holiness God insists from us, we should be very humbled. Our hearts should be grieved. It's part of the cleansing... we are now on our way to rejoicing. Amen.

10. "Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]."

We've been tried by fire and come through the other side with God and it is humbling. We see what was wrong before and we are humbled. God promises to pick us up now, and exalt us... and we are better by it.

Let's pick up with James verse 4:11 next time.

I love you.

James 4:8

8. "Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery]."

We cannot come close to God if we cannot resist the devil... go back to verse 7 and work through that verse again before working out verse 8! To draw near to God implies that some ungodly behavior (Jas 4:1-3) and worldliness (Jas 4:4) has put distance between us and God. There is something that needs to be resisted which you keep bringing with you, in trying to get close to God and it won't work this way. God sees that thing behind our back... that thing clenched in our hand, and that thing in our heart. Jesus told His disciples once... "If I don't wash your feet, you cannot have any part with me." Let Jesus wash our feet today... once and for all and resist these things out of our life that keep us from a closer relationship with God.

Let's pick up with James verse 4:9 next time.

I love you.